


of monsters and men

by goblinhimbo



Series: Ranboo Centric Stories [8]
Category: Minecraft (Video Game), Video Blogging RPF
Genre: Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Angst with a Happy Ending, Emotional Manipulation, Emotional/Psychological Abuse, Gen, Hurt No Comfort, Hurt/Comfort, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Physical Abuse, Ranboo-centric (Video Blogging RPF), Recovery, Sad Ranboo (Video Blogging RPF), Verbal Abuse
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-18
Updated: 2021-02-18
Packaged: 2021-03-14 05:20:36
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,344
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29537424
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/goblinhimbo/pseuds/goblinhimbo
Summary: ‘Philza and Technoblade kicked you out. You can’t trust them.’All the breath left his body as he stared at the words. They were in his writing. He wrote it. Why would he write something that didn’t happen? He wouldn’t. He knows he wouldn’t.“You messaged me on your communicator that you needed somewhere to go. I said I would let you stay with me for a short while, since you said know one else would.”When a child is abandoned for seemingly the hundredth time, and a man with nothing to lose or care for offers his help, what does the child do? What all children do, cling to the only person willing to spare them some kindness, even if that kindness comes with a price.
Relationships: Ranboo & Phil Watson (Video Blogging RPF), Ranboo & Technoblade, Ranboo & TommyInnit (Video Blogging RPF)
Series: Ranboo Centric Stories [8]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2121798
Comments: 18
Kudos: 336





	of monsters and men

The snow was blinding. 

That was Ranboo’s first thought as he blinked rapidly. He was standing in the ankle deep snow, apparently without armor, judging by the burning. Shivering as his senses slowly came to him, Ranboo wrapped his arms around himself.

What was happening? He must have enderwalked, didn’t he? Oh god, what happened? What’s happening? His breathing was speeding up, panic like lightning in his veins. 

Finally, after a few seconds of inspecting himself and panicking, he looked up directly in front of him. His heart stopped. 

Dream. 

The man cocked his head to the side, face hidden behind his mask as always. He somehow looked perfectly at home in the thin hoodie, unlike Ranboo who was shivering harshly. Even without seeing his expression, Ranboo got the feeling that Dream was giving him a calculating stare. He shivered again, and he didn’t know if it was from the cold or Dream. 

“What… What’s happening?”

His voice was weak and trembling, but he couldn’t find it within himself to care. He didn’t care what Dream thought about him, not right now. He needed to know what was happening, why was he with Dream, why was he without his armor?

A thought struck him, and he began frantically patting himself down. His book, where was his book? He needed it, he needed his book, oh Notch-

“Looking for this?” 

Dream’s low, falsely soothing voice interrupted his panicked thoughts. Ranboo forced himself to look up, despite every instinct within him telling him to just run away. Casually, as if he were completely unaware of the significance of it, Dream was holding out his memory book. 

Instinctually Ranboo lunged for the item. Dream quickly yanked his arm away, taking a step back as if he was expecting this exact reaction. Without anything to catch him, Ranboo fell hands first into the snow. He couldn’t contain his cry of pain as the snow almost instantly began to melt, burning him all over.

He tries to get to his feet, away from the pain, but his shaking caused him to just collapse back into the snow. Tears began to trickle out of his eyes from the pain, causing his face to light up in the same burning as everywhere else. 

“Give it back.”

He knew his voice was trembling and weak, completely unconvincing, and he braced himself for Dream’s refusal. 

“Okay.”

“I- what?” Ranboo said incredulously, staring at Dream. The man towered over him, displaying how clearly he was the one in power in this situation. And yet, despite the power imbalance that anyone would be able to see just by glancing at them, Dream tossed him his memory book. It landed on his chest, and Ranboo hissed as it hit his burning skin. 

Shakily, he managed to force himself into at least sitting in the snow. His legs still burnt painfully and Ranboo half wondered how he was still even conscious and not passed out from the pain. Glancing at Dream, whose face was still at least pointed in his direction, he managed to force him burnt fingers to wrap around the book. 

“Thank you,” he said softly. 

Humming in response, Dream cocked his head to the side. There was a few seconds of silence, the only sound the hissing of Ranboo’s skin, before Ranboo forced himself to ask again, “What is happening?”

“You forgot, didn’t you?” Dream asked, his voice dripping in too much sympathy to sound anywhere near remotely sincere. Ranboo tensed further, wishing more than anything that he could at least force himself to stand, both so he could hopefully get away from this without permanent damage done to his lower half and so he didn’t feel quite so much like cornered prey beneath Dream’s gaze. 

Forcing a chuckle, Ranboo replied, “I mean, that is my thing, so probably.”

Dream hummed again before dropping onto one knee, kneeling in front of Ranboo. He flinched back to the sudden movement, a startled yelp leaving him. Despite them suddenly being on the same level, Dream still held an air about him that made it clear that he had the upper hand, that he knew something Ranboo didn’t.

“Technoblade and Philza kicked you out, Ranboo.”

Ranboo froze. The pain overwhelming him seemed to almost disappear as his mind latched onto Dream’s words, panic and fear whiting out his mind. 

“No, no, you’re lying. They wouldn’t just kick me out, they wouldn’t.”

They wouldn’t, would they? It had been months since Ranboo moved near them, there was no reason he could think of that would cause them to kick him out. They didn’t even care about him exploding the community house, or having a Disc. 

They had even begun to care about Ranboo, he thought. Nights of spending time in their cabin with Technoblade, drinking hot chocolate and quietly reading together or gently talking about their favorite books. Days of him and Phil working on his house together, laughing and talking about being a hybrid. 

Why would they kick him out? They wouldn’t. They didn’t. Dream had to be lying, he had to be. 

“Check for yourself,” Dream said, interrupting his thoughts. “You wrote it in your book when it happened.”

With shaking, burnt fingers Ranboo shakily opened his book, flipping as fast as he could to the last page there was writing in. 

_ ‘Philza and Technoblade kicked you out. You can’t trust them.’ _

All the breath left his body as he stared at the words. They were in his writing. He wrote it. Why would he write something that didn’t happen? He wouldn’t. He knew he wouldn’t.

“You messaged me on your communicator that you needed somewhere to go. I said I would let you stay with me for a short while, since you said no one else would.”

Ranboo didn’t respond, staring down at the page. He repeated the words in his mind, over and over again.  _ ‘You can’t trust them.’ _

Who could he trust, then?

Phil and Techno were the only people he had left. He betrayed Tubbo, and though the ex-president didn’t execute him or declare him a traitor, he still didn’t know where they stood. Not enough to go to him. He yelled at Fundy and called him a coward. Niki turned against L’manburg, purposefully going against his advice. He had no one. 

Even if he did have someone, how could he go to them? He trusted Phil and Techno, he would have done anything to gain their approval and respect. And he thought he had it. He thought they  _ cared _ about him. Cared enough to not kick him out and leave him in the snow, without any of his things or pets.

“Why did they kick me out?” he asked quietly, his voice breaking part way through. He cleared his throat before continuing, “Did I tell you?”   


“Oh, Ranboo.” Dream suddenly moved closer, grabbing Ranboo by the chin and forcing him to look where Dream’s eyes would be. “It’s because you’re a monster.”

Ranboo’s stomach dropped and he felt his eyes widen. “What?” he whispered. 

Letting go of his chin, Dream stood suddenly. “Well, that’s what it has to be, right? You told me yourself that you had no one to go to. You even managed to make Technoblade and Philza kick you out, and they managed to put up with Tommy’s stealing and yelling. But you,  _ you _ were too much for them. They tried to be patient with you and let you stay for months, but eventually they realized that you were never going to get the hint.”

“What do you mean?” Ranboo’s voice was shaking, the pain starting to register again. A part of his mind wondered if he would even be able to walk again, after sitting in the snow for so long. The rest of him didn’t care about that, the rest of his mind only wanted to know why he was left, again. “What do you mean, Dream?”

Dream sighed harshly. “They were never your friends, Ranboo. They were your landlords. And after months of putting up with you, they got tired of having to pretend to like you.”

No, no, that wasn’t true, was it? They told him that they liked him, that he wasn’t a bother. But… Even if they told him that, maybe they were just lying? Techno wasn’t one to spare people’s feelings, but Phil could be, and Techno would do anything if Phil asked him to. 

Was it all a lie? An act of pity, trying to make their tenant feel better about himself and hoping he would get the hint that they didn’t actually want him around?

“I mean, can you blame them?” Dream continued. “Anyone would get sick of you. You can’t fight, you are terrible at socializing, and you leached off of their kindness until they got so tired of it that even Philza couldn’t pretend to care about you anymore.”

“Oh.”

Sighing again, Dream seemed to soften slightly. “I know it hurts. But you should know why you’ve been abandoned so you don’t make the same mistakes with me.”

Ranboo blinked, confused. “With you?”   


“Yes, Ranboo, with me. I already told you that you messaged  _ me _ for a place to stay, or are you already bailing on me?   


Wincing, Ranboo shifted nervously in the snow, which instantly proved to be a mistake as his burnt skin screamed in pain. Ranboo forced back a welp of agony before shakily saying, “No, no, I’m sorry, I’m not bailing. I just don’t know why I went to you.”

“Because who else would you go to? And even if you did go to someone else, I doubt they would have said yes. I am doing you a huge favor by doing this, Ranboo, I don’t think anyone else would have.”

After a moment of thought Ranboo nodded his head. Even if he doesn’t know exactly why he would have messaged Dream specifically, in the end it didn’t matter too much.

“That makes sense. But even if I did message you, I uh, don’t think I should live with you? I can figure out somewhere to go.”

Dream stilled, and without him having to actually say anything Ranboo knew he fucked up. He watched with bated breath as Dream clenched his fist before forcing out a loud breath, unclenching them. 

“It doesn’t matter what you think, Ranboo. By this point you probably have burns all over you, they need to be treated somehow. Unless you somehow have burn cream, bandages, new clothes, and a dry place to stay.”

Ranboo’s shoulders rose in anxiety as Dream spoke, looking down at his hands. They were an ugly sight, burnt and wrinkly, and he knew the rest of him must be much worse. At some point in their conversation his entire being had gone numb from the pain. Dream had a point, as much as he hated it. Without help there was very little chance he would survive even through the night, and he had no one else. 

He had no one else. The only person who he had was Dream. 

“Ranboo.” The enderman hybrid looked up at Dream. “Come on. You know you have to come with me, I’m the only person who can put up with you. Stop stalling.”

He had no choice. Sure he already heard Dream’s voice in his head, sure he was almost positive that Dream manipulates him when he enderwalks. Sure Dream destroyed his first ever home. But he was all that was left. Ranboo drove everyone else away. All that he has left is Dream, the one man that Ranboo was fully, truly against. But at least he wouldn't be alone, at least he wouldn’t die in the snow.

Reluctantly, Ranboo nodded. “I can’t get up…” he admitted shamefully, bowing his head. 

He heard another annoyed sigh from Dream before he was suddenly wanked to his feet. A startled, pained sound came from Ranboo, causing Dream to hiss at him, “Shut up. I’m already doing you a favor by letting you stay with me, and now you’re making me carry you? Notch, you’re pathetic.”

More tears left Ranboo’s eyes, and he knew that the water would be burning him, and should be making him be in even more pain. But he felt nothing as Dream roughly threw him over his shoulder with a grunt, beginning to walk to wherever he was being taken. 

* * *

Miles away, two men, retired from their violent ways, were waking up. When they did, they would find a suddenly abandoned house next to theirs, empty of the boy that they had both grown so fond of. 

They would speak together in voices growing louder in fear and anxiety at their friends absence, worry taking them both by the heart. And when they would open a chest they were both sure hadn’t been there the day prior, the only thing they would find is a single note, a familiar smiley face staring back at them. 

One of the two would take his leave moments later, grabbing his ax. He would swing at every mob and every tree he came across, the voices in his head screaming in rage, calling for revenge. 

The other man would fall to his knees, clutching the note in his hands tightly. He would ask the universe why it seemed to be so intent on taking his family away from him, what his boys had done to deserve being hurt and manipulated. He wouldn’t let himself cry yet, not until he knew if his newest and most fragile of sons was gone for good.

Hours later, the two would come back together again, bowing their heads together as they come up with a plan, speaking with anger and hatred at the man who had taken one of their own. 

But that wouldn’t be for hours now. For now, a numb boy cried as a man with nothing but spite and hatred left in his heart carried him away from his family, as that family slept away, unaware of the pain to come. 


End file.
